JessN: Decision on Grant is more complex than it looks

TideWatcher

All-SEC
Dec 11, 2006
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Well, Grant has been paid well and given 6 years. Whoever they go after can know that Bama does not give a quick hook, and if you build a good team the support is there. I find it hard to believe he will be given another year. Just as a business decision the attendance is bound to drop if he comes back.
Like many here, I believe Anthony Grant is what he is -- a 17-15 coach, with a losing record in the SEC, and just enough flashes and excuses to give his (dwindling) supporters something to point to.

Trouble is, in six years, there have been no pleasant surprises. No overcoming obstacles, no unexpected development of players. The top end has been expected levels of performance, punctuated by inexplicable lapses and disappointments.

I'm convinced we'll never be more than what we are right now until we get a replacement.

But I do wonder what impact, if any, our current AD / President situation would have on attracting a quality replacement.

As in, let's assume that Battle is willing to make the call at the end of the year. Would anyone we'd care to have look at the vacant President chair, compounded by the fact that Battle can't possibly be in his chair all that much longer, and say, "Thanks, but not until the campus and AD leadership is settled?"

Or could we overcome that with a 5-year, $10 - $12 million contract?

I don't know enough about how coaches and their agents think, and would be curious to hear the thoughts of the board.
 

JDCrimson

Hall of Fame
Feb 12, 2006
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Like many here, I believe Anthony Grant is what he is -- a 17-15 coach, with a losing record in the SEC, and just enough flashes and excuses to give his (dwindling) supporters something to point to.

Trouble is, in six years, there have been no pleasant surprises. No overcoming obstacles, no unexpected development of players. The top end has been expected levels of performance, punctuated by inexplicable lapses and disappointments.

I'm convinced we'll never be more than what we are right now until we get a replacement.

But I do wonder what impact, if any, our current AD / President situation would have on attracting a quality replacement.

As in, let's assume that Battle is willing to make the call at the end of the year. Would anyone we'd care to have look at the vacant President chair, compounded by the fact that Battle can't possibly be in his chair all that much longer, and say, "Thanks, but not until the campus and AD leadership is settled?"

Or could we overcome that with a 5-year, $10 - $12 million contract?

I don't know enough about how coaches and their agents think, and would be curious to hear the thoughts of the board.
There will be coaches who would still be interested in the position. Who in here doesnt think that Dr. Witt plays a significant role in the hiring of coaches for major sports? We shouldnt let the void in the President and AD positions prevent business from carrying on as it should. For those saying that our PTBs dont care about basketball, I disagree completely. Now the real question is do they really know who would be the right candidate for our circumstances? I am telling you I would have to talk to a lot of intelligent basketball people to grasp how to restore our basketball program to competitiveness before could make a well-thought hire. We got the number one prospect in CAG that year to only get these sorts of results. The issues and lack of success behind the program goes beyond just CAG's coaching and recruiting ability, imo. And no I dont think it facilities has anything to do with it. If it is this year or next year, who ever we hire it has to be a successful hire. We are staring 10 years of irrelevance in the face with the prospect of more if this is not handled correctly.
 

im4datide

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Sep 6, 2001
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I think if Mal was still alive and AD that there would be a change at the end of the season. Bill needs to do what's in the best interest of the university and make a change. Interest (ie attendance) is very low as a bad product is being put out on the court. I put minimal blame on the players. The kids are playing hard, but are being put in bad situations by the staff. I don't put much stock in blaming injuries as we lost some games this year at full strength that we shouldn't have lost. If Bill loves his alma mater he needs to make the change regardless of what's going on with who is running the university . I love Bama basketball but it's hard to watch knowing that it's a 90% chance they are going to lose.
 

NationalTitles18

TideFans Legend
May 25, 2003
29,633
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Mountainous Northern California
I simply can't enjoy watching the basketball team play for the past 2 years when I already absolutely know the final result and that I will be disappointed when all is said and done. It's too painful to watch most of the time, so I don't. The program without any doubt whatsoever needs a fresh start. The program needs new leadership. No amount of politics or dreaming/wishing is going to change that fact.
 

4Q Basket Case

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Nov 8, 2004
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There will be coaches who would still be interested in the position. Who in here doesnt think that Dr. Witt plays a significant role in the hiring of coaches for major sports? We shouldnt let the void in the President and AD positions prevent business from carrying on as it should. For those saying that our PTBs dont care about basketball, I disagree completely. Now the real question is do they really know who would be the right candidate for our circumstances? I am telling you I would have to talk to a lot of intelligent basketball people to grasp how to restore our basketball program to competitiveness before could make a well-thought hire. We got the number one prospect in CAG that year to only get these sorts of results. The issues and lack of success behind the program goes beyond just CAG's coaching and recruiting ability, imo. And no I dont think it facilities has anything to do with it. If it is this year or next year, who ever we hire it has to be a successful hire. We are staring 10 years of irrelevance in the face with the prospect of more if this is not handled correctly.
Agreed on Witt's role. But if we're right, that means a prospective coach would be looking at him as well.

Did you know Witt will turn 75 in September? Sure, he's a young 75. But there are only so many days in a life. You have to wonder how many more of them he wants to spend propping up Ray Watts, dealing with the UAB crowd, and the state legislature, and blithering al.com bloggers masquerading as journalists. That BOT is no picnic either, even for someone as established as Witt.

It'll be a sad, sad day when it comes, but a coaching candidate would have to figure Witt will hang it up himself sometime in the not-too-distant future. My wholly uninformed time range would be 6 months to two years. If I had to guess a date, it would be an announcement around the end of calendar 2015, effective when the BOT names a successor, but not later than September 30, 2016. Timing of naming a new President in Tuscaloosa and Witt's own announcement would not be random happenstance.

I am unaware of credible internal candidates for the job at any of the three campuses, and would therefore predict a 6 - 9 month externally-focused search process.

I still think we need to make a change. I just fear that circumstances totally unrelated to basketball will affect the quality of candidates we have to choose from.
 

bamacon

Hall of Fame
Apr 11, 2008
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While I think Grant has some terrific positives in terms of character and coaching defense they aren't enough to earn the title HC. Let's face it, some folks are great coaches but terrible Head Coaches. I think Will Muschamp falls into that category. I know several LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGG term basketball season ticket holders that have since dropped them. The style of play is simply boring and the overall lack of consistency on the positive front are KILLING attendance. Gottfried couldn't win on the road. Grant can't win the close games, and both are HORRIBLE at in-game adjustments. To me, college bball is just awful with the one-and-done and unless you get a Calipari type coach this is what you get. Until they change the rules with that I probably will have little to no interest and I was about as passionate a fan as there was for 25 years.
 

TitleWave

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Dec 3, 2012
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Apropos the thread title, and a tad au contraire to it, Grant's actually doing his "best" to make the decision less complex every time he "leads" the team onto the court and "leads" it to an inevitable outcome. Earle and other "fallen-away" fans were getting PTSS (post-traumatic Shula syndrome) discussing the deja vu all over again on the basketball board, but at least Sonnyboy had an occasional big win on his resume (even if he shouldn't have had the resume in the first place). With Grant, it's inarguable that 'Bama's basketball program has sunk to rock-bottom low-Tide nadir. Cannot think of another SEC school whose athletic department would let this charade continue, even the Stark-Vegas bottom-feeders or the Cow-Patties who certainly know a thing or two about going "Plop!" as the best description of what Grant has foisted on Tuscaloosa. Why on earth should Alabama countenance - or "enable" it is beyond me.
 
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Al A Bama

Hall of Fame
Jun 24, 2011
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I just think Coach Anthony Grant is a CLASS ACT and hope Alabama keeps him.

He beat Auburn twice this year. That's what is important. Hopefully, that guy now coaching in West Georgia will NOT turn that program around. Coach Grant is not like Bill Curry who could NOT beat the Barn.

Did I say he was a Class Act. Are any of his players in trouble for inappropriate behavior. What is his total record at Alabama? I honestly hope they end up in the SEC Championship game against UK and some how can beat that team. Maybe UK's players will have a team 24 hour virus and the Tide will roll.

It's not like he's had a total losing record at Alabama. He's had a winning record every year hasn't he?

And finally, did I say that he's a Class Act? If I didn't, I should have!
 

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
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To me Grant has been a lost cause for the past few seasons. It started to become clear that he simply can't keep the pieces together to have a top of the SEC program, even if the pieces are all there. He'll lose control of some, or just lose some, and be back to the inevitable "wait till next year".

I don't think it's necessarily his inability as a coach, though some would differ, but he just can't seem to deal with players. He's not an elite recruiter, clearly, but he's not particularly adept at keeping key guys on the team either. His mismanagement of recruiting seems to hurt the most though, he's let scholarships fall by the wayside from what I've seen. Nick Saban is a master of managing players and his roster, doing his best to not let any chance to better his team go to waste, Grant seems completely lacking that sort of ability.

I don't know if the new coach (and I think/hope the change is coming), will be any better, but Alabama has to keep trying. The state has the talent, and the Alabama program has demonstrated that going to the NCAA tournament need not be a rare occasion. Part of the issue, is, as I've noted before Alabama has never had a head coach who won a NCAA championship as a head coach (not just at Alabama, at anywhere). That might not seem like that much, but perhaps until Alabama has someone around there that actually know what it takes to win, this trend of an early NCAA tournament exit being a high point might continue.
 

TideMan09

Hall of Fame
Jan 17, 2009
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Exactly..I'd rather have the AD that's been here & has the pulse of what's going on with this team , that knows the players, and what kinda Coach that would be the best fit for our players that's coming back next year..Battle has that relationship with the kids on our team and knows their strength & weaknesses, that's going to be helpful in hiring Grant's replacement, and I would rather Battles make that decision instead of leaving it to his replacement, I may be wrong in thinking that way, but, I'd rather see it work out this way myself..

As long as Battle is the AD he needs to be the AD and do his job. I don't get all the politics here. People not wanting to make tough decisions and passing buck is not leadership. Coaches know what is expected of them regardless of who their boss is. I go to work everyday focused on doing my job - sitting around worrying what my boss thinks of me is the least of my concerns. I agree if he doesn't want to handle this situation he does need to retire. Everyone knows the program is going nowhere. Same goes for baseball too. Shoot if I were Battle and I knew I was a short timer it would be easy to make these tough decisions now and let the new AD come in and get his feet wet for a year or two. His legacy is not going to be tarnished by how handles the basketball and baseball situations - just man up and do something.
 

ReturnToGlory

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Nov 22, 2006
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It's a bottom line business. Win or go home. Whether he is a class act or not, you gotta win. People who say that is reason alone for keeping him, probably don't really follow the b-ball team or care all that much about it.
 

JessN

Administrator & Editor-in-Chief
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Oct 13, 1999
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Plenty to mull over in this piece, Jess.

Noted that it appears on the Football board as opposed to Basketball.
Just wanted to note that my articles automatically generate a post at the top of the football board, no matter the subject.

As for the subject of Grant's employment itself, I would be surprised at this point (March 8) if he's let go. I expect him to return. I do not agree with it, but I do expect it.
 

bamacon

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Just wanted to note that my articles automatically generate a post at the top of the football board, no matter the subject.

As for the subject of Grant's employment itself, I would be surprised at this point (March 8) if he's let go. I expect him to return. I do not agree with it, but I do expect it.
I do too. I think BB will pass on making the decision even though I don't think he should. If he wants to be AD then be the AD. It's almost like he is a substitute teacher. I guess they'll need to find a Pres. ASAP and then start an AD search if that's really the case.
 

Crimson1967

Hall of Fame
Nov 22, 2011
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I understand Battle is a short term AD who took the job only because Mal Moore had to step down due to his health. But he is in charge and needs to do what is best for the program. I don't see someone not taking the job because they don't know who the AD will be in a couple years.

Sadly, I think as long as the basketball program is making money, they aren't going to eat Grant's four year buyout along with someone else's buyout.
 

deliveryman35

Hall of Fame
Jul 26, 2003
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Bottom line is he's not going anywhere. However, unless he wins 20 games next year and gets us in the tournament I think he will be dismissed at the end of the 2015/16 campaign, the outcry for change then will simply be too loud to ignore
 

ptw1961

1st Team
Dec 8, 2011
793
0
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Al- the record was 13-19 LAST year. That is a losing record. Why not mention his long list of things he does not do well. Also- beating Auburn in basketball is not that hard right now. This is not football.
I just think Coach Anthony Grant is a CLASS ACT and hope Alabama keeps him.

He beat Auburn twice this year. That's what is important. Hopefully, that guy now coaching in West Georgia will NOT turn that program around. Coach Grant is not like Bill Curry who could NOT beat the Barn.

Did I say he was a Class Act. Are any of his players in trouble for inappropriate behavior. What is his total record at Alabama? I honestly hope they end up in the SEC Championship game against UK and some how can beat that team. Maybe UK's players will have a team 24 hour virus and the Tide will roll.

It's not like he's had a total losing record at Alabama. He's had a winning record every year hasn't he?

And finally, did I say that he's a Class Act? If I didn't, I should have!
 

TideWatcher

All-SEC
Dec 11, 2006
1,814
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newton county, ms
Say it ain't so Jess. I like Grant but he needs to move on. It is just time. Please let us make a change next year. Why would we not?
Just wanted to note that my articles automatically generate a post at the top of the football board, no matter the subject.

As for the subject of Grant's employment itself, I would be surprised at this point (March 8) if he's let go. I expect him to return. I do not agree with it, but I do expect it.
 

BamaDynasty

Scout Team
May 9, 2003
118
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Smyrna,GA,USA
I know rumors are rumors and twitter posts are even less reliable but it sure sounds like CAG is going to get one more year to prove he can produce a 20 win season with an NCAA berth. The buyout, the rash of injuries, the "oh so close" losses, and the fact he IS an incredibly good guy at a time when college coaches bring a lot of shame to their institutions. All these factors SEEM to be buying him another season.
 

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